Google Reveals How ‘Lake America’ Name Change Will Appear on Maps
Lake Ontario will appear as “Lake America” on Google Maps, the company said - but only to users in the United States.
Google has formally changed the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" for U.S. users of Google Maps, following President Donald Trump's executive order as part of an escalating trade war with Canada. The company explained that it typically updates its maps to reflect official government name changes, allowing U.S. users to see the lake under the new name.
However, Canadian users will continue to see it as Lake Ontario, the name it has been known by for nearly 400 years. Google Maps users outside of the U.S. and Canada will see both names. The change was announced on August 29 and aligns with Google's policy for bodies of water with differing names across countries. This decision contrasts with MapQuest's refusal to change Lake Ontario's name, stating they will not be making any adjustments.
In response to the name change, Trump had previously ordered the renaming of the lake to "America" to acknowledge its significance to the U.S. economy. He shared an AI-generated video on social media depicting geese in Donald Duck-style wigs and armed with rifles patrolling the lake.
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